This summer I did a vegan challenge where for 5 days my whole family (other than Max) just ate fruit and vegetables. No grains, no legumes, no meat or fish… nothing except fruit and vegetables.
It was basically lots of vegetable soups, salads, sautéed collard greens and roasted sweet potatoes and carrots. And it was delicious.
After a week I felt amazing – so much energy, clearer skin, and just overall felt healthier (and I generally eat pretty healthy already).
That inspired us to eat a more plant-based diet. We are not vegans nor do we plan on becoming vegan, but I do generally believe that many people need more fruit and vegetables in their diet, fewer processed foods, and a little less meat and dairy.
You can read more here on whether or not your kids should be vegan.
So it has inspired me to create more soup recipes where you can ingest loads of healthy vegetables with little effort and little amount of time.
And this one of my favorite recipes that came out of my experimentation.
Cinnamon Spiced Vegan Butternut Squash Soup Ingredients
Butternut Squash – it is that fall time of year where you enter the grocery store and there are just piles and piles of pumpkins and squashes. Look for ones with a fat neck and small bulb as they will have the fewest seeds and the most flesh. It should also have a hard skin.
Apples – use a red apple. I used Pink Lady apples here but you can use Fuji, or Gala, or any that are on the sweeter side really.
Carrots – look for firm, smooth orange carrots and avoid ones with black tops. Black tops indicate that they are not fresh.
Onion – I used a white onion but a red one will do just fine.
Garlic – look for dry skins and firm cloves.
Ground Cinnamon – Ceylon Cinnamon is considered to be healthier and better, but Cassia Cinnamon (what is usually referred to in shops simply as “cinnamon”) is very good too.
Cumin – native to regions of the Meditteranean and southeast Asia. With a distinctive flavor of earthiness, nuttiness, and warmth.
Cayenne Pepper – a little spice makes this soup very wholesome. Cayenne is very spicy though, so tread carefully. My toddler loves this soup and for adults the cayenne is great but you know your baby the best, so you decide whether to add it and how much. The amount we use in the recipe is not enough to burn your mouth, but just enough to give it a little kick and bring out all the flavors.
Cinnamon Spiced Vegan Butternut Squash Soup Nutrition
Butternut Squash – rich in nutrients, vitamins, and minerals such as vitamin A, C and E. Also a good source of calcium and iron.
Apples – abundant in phytonutrients, high in fiber, and vitamin C.
Carrots – contain vitamin A, K1, potassium, fiber, and antioxidants.
Onion – believed to have anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.
Garlic – called nature’s antibiotic, it is believed the health benefits are caused by sulfur compounds released when the clove is crushed or chopped.
How to Make This Cinnamon Spiced Vegan Butternut Squash Soup
Preheat the oven to 200ºC / 400ºF.
Prepare the vegetables. Halve the butternut squash. Remove the seeds with a spoon and place them flesh side down on the roasting tray.
Peel and roughly chop the carrots and place on the roasting tray with the butternut squash and pop in the oven for about 10 minutes. After 10 minutes you should add the chopped apple and roast for another 15 minutes.
Heat a pot/pan on low heat with a tbsp of olive oil. Add the chopped garlic and onion and sauté for about 10 minutes until they are soft and glass-like.
To see if the butternut is roasted pierce through it with a fork. If the fork goes easily in, you can remove it from the oven.
Take a spoon and scrape the flesh of the butternut leaving the skin and pop it into your food processor or blender.
Add the carrots, apple, onion, garlic, cinnamon, and cumin plus 3 cups of water and blend.
If desired, add ¼ tsp of cayenne pepper and see how it tastes to you. Add another ¼ tsp or more as desired. We tend to use ½ tsp in total.
Depending on the size of your blender you may have to do this is a couple times.
Add back to a pot and bring to boil before reducing heat and serving.
If you use a Vitamix that has a 2L / 32oz cup and it has been life-changing for all our recipes because it is so efficient, easy to clean, and easy to use. It can even heat your soup as well so you can skip the last step.
Here we used a Magimix Food Processor before we had the Vitamix, but, seriously, Vitamix is the best thing ever.
Stores in the fridge for 3 days or can be frozen.
More Family Recipes Like This
Wholesome Cinnamon Spiced Vegan Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
- 1 butternut squash
- 2 carrots
- 2 apples
- 1 onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper optional
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 cups water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200ºC / 400ºF. Halve the butternut squash. Remove the seeds with a spoon and place them flesh side down on the roasting tray
- Peel and roughly chop the carrots and place on the roasting tray with the butternut squash and pop in the oven for about 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, add the chopped apple and roast for another 15 minutes.
- Heat a pan on low heat with a tbsp of olive oil. Add the chopped garlic and onion and sauté for about 10 minutes until they are soft and glass-like.
- To see if the butternut is roasted pierce through it with a fork. If the fork goes easily in, you can remove it from the oven. Take a spoon and scrape the flesh of the butternut leaving the skin and pop it into your food processor or blender.
- Add the carrots, apple, onion and garlic mixture, cinnamon, salt, cumin and water and blend. Depending on the size of your blender you may have to do this is 2-3 times.
- If desired, add half the cayenne pepper and check the taste. Add the other half or more if desired.
- Stores in the fridge for 3 days or can be frozen.
EQUIPMENT
Nutrition
The Ultimate List Of Calorie-Dense Foods